'Beyond the Gates' Premieres February 24 on CBS

Upcoming CBS daytime drama Beyond the Gates, a set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington, D.C., and in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States, debuts Monday, February 24, 2025 at 2pm ET/1pm PT on CBS.

The network recently revealed the remaining Beyond the Gates cast, including Brandon Claybon, Timon Durrett, Sean Freeman, Marquita Goings, Maurice Johnson, Trisha Mann-Grant, RhonniRose Mantilla, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Muhammad and Arielle Prepetit. Joining previously announced stars Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Daphnee Duplaix (Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson) and Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), the new cast members round out the extended families of the Duprees and key characters who influence their worlds.

Beyond the Gates, from CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, began production in November.

Check out the show's families below:

NEWS: Hayley Erin, Eric Martsolf, Donna Mills, Luca Diamont, Craig Heller, Mark Schlereth

General Hospital star Hayley Erin is engaged to Logan Luedtke
“My best friend is now my fiancé,” Erin (Kiki on GH) tweeted with some pictures of their trip and the ring. Luedtke replied on Twitter with: “I love you” and added some photos of the actual proposal declaring it a magical day.

Soap opera stars shine at Samantha's Friends fundraiser
The annual fundraiser for Samantha's Friends — a nonprofit organization that provides service canines to people challenged by disabilities such as autism, stroke and combat injuries— was held on July 9 at Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club. This year the guest list included Days of our Lives stars Martha Madison, Eric Martsolf, Jordi Vilasuso and Christopher Sean.

Martsolf was recognized for taking part in his fifth Samantha's Friends fundraiser, despite missing one flight and getting his second flight canceled the first time he came out for the event.

"Who knew that my worst flying experience would turn into one of my favorite charitable experiences?" Martsolf said.

Festivities included a canine parade, live and silent auction and fashion show featuring styles from Panache’, Jackie Z Style Co. and Ansley Z Kids Co.

Bold and the Beautiful actor Don Diamont has another son who is a rising quarterback star
Luca Diamont, a sophomore quarterback at Venice, is being trained by his brother, Zander, a former All-City quarterback at Venice High School who spent four years at Indiana.

"The sky is the ceiling for him," says Zander. "I firmly believe he’s the best quarterback in his class."

As the World Turns writer Craig Heller is ready for a scene change in Woodland Hills
Emmy-winning television writer Craig Heller and his wife, actress Lenora May, have put their home in Woodland Hills on the market for $1.089 million.

Former ESPN host and Guiding Light actor Mark Schlereth to join FS1 and NFL on Fox
Fox Sports is expected to shakeup the bottom tier of its NFL announcing teams and Schlereth will be part of that. According to the Sporting News, Schlereth’s move to FOX had been in the works for some time.

Donna Mills takes a golden opportunity to add magic to her dining room
Knots Landing actress Donna Mills was perfectly happy with her low-key Brentwood dining room, with its off-white walls and troves of antiques. That is, until she stepped into the Silver Lake home of her friend, artist Adam Kurtzman, and saw his gold-colored walls.

“I took one look and thought, ‘That’s what I want,’” she said.

Kurtzman spent 10 days applying small squares of gold leaf onto the walls of Mills’ dining room, elevating it from a classic space into something more dazzling.

Popular Korean soap opera draws Asian tourists to Quebec City
The series Goblin: The Lonely and Great God brought megastars of South Korean television to Old Quebec, incorporating features of its historic sites into the television drama's storyline. With 250 million viewers across Asia, the soap opera's fans are now crossing the ocean to see the city for themselves.

NEWS: Martyn Hett, Judith Light, CBS Ad Market, Alley Mills, Sean O'Connor

Coronation Street actors attend funeral of superfan killed in Manchester attack
Antony Cotton and Jennie McAlpine were among the stars of the long-running British TV show Coronation Street who attended the funeral for Manchester concert bombing victim Martyn Hett on Friday. The 29-year-old was a self-professed “superfan” of the Manchester-set soap opera. He was one of 22 people killed on May 22 when a suicide bomber struck concertgoers leaving an Ariana Grande show in the city in northwest England. Hett’s Coronation Street-themed coffin was taken to Stockport Town Hall in Greater Manchester by horse-drawn carriage today for his funeral.

CBS scores big increases in ad market for next season
Advertising volume increased by double digits in the daytime and other periods outside of prime time, thanks in large part to higher spending from Proctor & Gamble Co. and pharmaceutical companies. Those big spenders put pressure on other ad buyers, who had to decide whether to buy spots ahead of time or take their chances on inventory available during the season in what’s known as the scatter market.

Judith Light: One Life to Live changed my life
Judith Light is known as one of Broadway’s pre-eminent actors — winning back-to-back ­Tonys in 2012 and 2013 — but she says that her run on a soap opera was just as important an achievement.

“When I came back to the theater in 1999, I did a play called ‘Wit,’ and that really turned a lot of things around for me,” she told us this past week of her career highlights.

But she added, “As well as appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live in the late ’70s. That changed my life.”

Adrienne Frantz and Scott Bailey are ready to part with Studio City home
Frantz and Bailey have put their home in Studio City on the market for $2.695 million. Recently remodeled, the Spanish-vibe house with a clay-tile roof sits on what was once part of the Hollywood Country Club. The multilevel home has more than 5,600 square feet of interior space that includes an updated kitchen, a living room with a wet bar and a gym with a rock-climbing wall. In the dining room, a bookcase conceals a secret recording studio and wine vault.

Alley Mills, Orson Bean star in premiere at Mark Twain Library
Bean and Mills will perform the world premiere of a one-act play the couple wrote together. "Alright Then" is a true story of two people who fell in love and overcame insurmountable odds to forge a successful marriage. The play will be shown on Thursday, July 13, at 7:30 p.m., and a reception with the stars will be held on the library lawn following the play. Doors open at 7 p.m.

EastEnders boss departs soap in sudden exit
The Sun reported that executive producer Sean O'Connor was ‘pushed out’ of his position following a meeting with BBC bosses on June 22nd.

"It is understood that stars on set felt they had been bullied under his regime and other actors and staff were left in tears," the report said. "But in a further twist, 49-year-old O’Connor is now saying he too has felt bullied and is threatening legal action."

NEWS: Nathan Fillion, Justin Hartley & Chrishell Stause, Jen Franz, Lois Robbins, Kimberly McCullough, Misty Rowe

One Life to Live Nathan Fillion: "Anyone who talks down on daytime (television), and I never will, has never done daytime"
“It wasn’t like one show a week,” he says of his three years playing Joey Buchanan, “it was every day. We didn’t do cue cards. I’ve heard rumors of cue cards. Even the older, older guys did not use cue cards. They were seasoned pros. Anyone who talks down on daytime (television), and I never will, has never done daytime. It is a mountain of work. It is 40 pages a day.

“It’s a muscle. It’s like you start doing pushups. If you do pushups every day for three years by the end of it you can do a lot of pushups. I’m pretty sure by the end of three years that memorizing, that taking of the words and letting them live, was a muscle I flexed pretty well.”

TV and soap actress Lois Robbins discusses new play 'L.O.V.E.R.'
In the daytime world, Robbins is best known for her acting work on such soap operas as One Life to Live, Ryan's Hope and All My Children. "Those were a long time ago, but I think it is the single best training for an actor. I loved them and I loved having the steady job. I learned 40 pages of dialogue a night, so it was not that hard to memorize 90 pages of dialogue for L.O.V.E.R. Daytime really trains you to memorize."

The Daily Show executive producer Jen Flanz was once an intern at One Life to Live
"The idea of going to law school fueled a fire in me that I've never had before—I was like, I just can’t. I’ve got to get a million internships! So I did a bunch of internships, I did CBS local news and One Life to Live and VH1 Storytellers—I was there for the first Behind The Music, which makes me feel old. The Rosie O’Donnell Show when Rosie was still on the air…I did all of these internships."

Justin Hartley & fiancee Chrishell Stause head to Monaco for Monte-Carlo TV Festival
“We made it, our bags did not,” Stause (ex-Amanda, All My Children) shared with fans on Instagram, along with the photo below. “When life gives you 🍋🍋, add vodka! #MonteCarlo #FTV17 #festivaltvmc.”

She added on Twitter, “@British_Airways just gave me pajamas for my flight! Best thing of all time 🙌🏼Only made better that she called it a ‘sleeper suit’ ❤️.”

General Hospital star Kimberly McCullough gives birth to a son
McCullough announced on social media she has given birth to a son.

"Baby Otis was born today June 7th. To quote Mary J 'I never knew there was a love like this before,'" the 39-year-old actress tweeted with a photo of her newborn's tiny feet.

"Sorry I was so tired. It's Faith Evans, not MJ," she followed up the next day.

Hee Haw star Misty recalls marriage to James DePaiva
Rowe said she married a waiter and, because money was scarce, they had their reception at producer Sam Lovullos's home. Kenny Rogers (yes, that Kenny Rogers) shot the wedding portrait. Rogers was part of the Hee Haw family at the time because he was married to Gordon.

Rowe said her waiter husband became a soap opera star and, six months after the wedding, he ran off with another soap opera person. Soon after, she began a long association with the theater show “Always... Patsy Cline.”

NEWS: British Soap Awards, Rob Mallard, Bill Hayes, 'In Our Lifetime,' Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon'

Emmerdale's depiction of Ashley Tinsley's dementia helped the soap
win six British Soap Awards.

Below is a round-up of recent soap opera news.

* Emmerdale was named Best British Soap and picked up five other trophies at Saturday night's British Soap Awards.

* Coronation Street's Rob Mallard (who plays Daniel) thanked boyfriend Daniel Brocklebank (Billy) in his Best Newcomer speech: "Even though this is fantastic, Dan you're still the best thing I've taken home!”"

* An Indian soap opera that is shattering social taboos - from domestic violence and acid attacks to menstruation and child marriage - has become one of the most watched series in the world, attracting over 400 million viewers, according to Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon producers.

* On the new documentary about the life of Days of our Lives star Bill Hayes (Doug), wife Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) says, "I think it allows the viewer of his biography to see who Bill Hayes is, and meet the man I fell in love with and that his co-worker fell in love with that perhaps they don’t know."

* Religious differences reared their ugly head during Friday’s funeral for an Indonesian soap opera actress Yana Zein, who died on Thursday at the age of 44. Her Russian mother, Swetlana Zein, wanted a Christian funeral for Yana, whom she claimed was a Christian. But just before the coffin was closed, Yana’s father, Nurzaman, who is divorced from Swetlana, came to the funeral home and stopped the rites, arguing that Yana was a Muslim and thus Muslim rites should be performed for her.

* Drugs. Alcohol. Sabotage. Backstabbing. Inappropriate relationships. It’s exactly the type of drama you’d expect from a daytime television show. Except in this case, the show is on YouTube, the resident Queen Bee is a 14-year-old girl, and her kingdom is a private school. The show? “In Our Lifetime” — a 30-minute drama, In Our Lifetime, produced in Atlanta.

NEWS: Billy Miller, Grant Show, Ingo Rademacher, Erika Girard, Amelia Heinle, Thad Luckinbill, Anna Maria Horsford, Obba Babatunde, Kimberly McCullough, Arianne Zucker, Darnell Kirkwood, Alison Sweeney

Billy Miller

General Hospital star Billy Miller books multi-episode arc on Ray Donovan
Miller (Jason on GH) will appear in at least four episodes of the Showtime drama Ray Donovan, which kicks off its fifth season this summer. He's set to play Todd Doherty, a cop who butts heads with his sister Maureen’s hubby-to-be, Eddie Marsan's Terry Donovan.

Ingo Rademacher returning to General Hospital
In an #askGH Twitter chat Executive Producer Frank Valentini revealed that Ingo Rademacher (Jax) is headed back to Port Charles. When GH fan Nicholas Bloom asked, “is jax returning soon?” the exec replied, “YES! And it will be a HUGE payoff for Nelle, Carly, and Sonny.”

Arianne Zucker shares post-Days of our Lives plans
“My contract is up on April 27,” says Zucker, who has played Nicole Walker on Days since 1998. “I am being pitched as we speak with my new agency/manager. I booked a movie. I am just ready to fly. I am ready to work. It’s not being a star, it’s working.”

Grant Show

Grant Show cast as Blake Carrington on Dynasty reboot
Show (Rryan's Hope, Melrose Place, Devious Maids) is taking on the iconic role of oil tycoon Blake Carrington in The CW's Dynasty pilot, a reboot of the 1980s primetime soap. The character was played by John Forsythe in the original series.

The new Dynasty follows two of America’s wealthiest families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, as they feud for control over their fortune and their children. The series will be told primarily through the perspectives of two women at odds: Fallon Carrington (Elizabeth Gillies), daughter of billionaire Blake Carrington (Show), and her soon-to-be stepmother, Cristal (Nathalie Kelley), a Hispanic woman marrying into this WASP family and America's most powerful class.

Erika Girardi returning to The Young and the Restless
Girardi, who stars in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with Eileen Davidson’s Ashley, will return to Genoa City as Farrah Dubose on April 24. This time around, the realtor will cross paths with Jack (Peter Bergman).

Thad Luckinbill and Amelia Heinle

Former The Young and the Restless co-stars Amelia Heinle and Thad Luckinbill divorcing after 10 years of marriage
Luckinbill filed for the split in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing "irreconcilable differences." Heinle, who plays role of Victoria Newman on the top-rated CBS soap, began dating Luckinbill when he was playing JT Hellstrom on the show from 1999-2010. The couple wed in March 2007.

The Bold and the Beautiful's Anna Maria Horsford and Obba Babatunde will serve as celebrity co-chairs for this year's National Black Theatre Festival
"It will hopefully bring more attention to a lot of people supporting theatre," says Horsford, who plays Vivienne Avant on B&B.

Darnell Kirkwood learning the daytime ropes at The Young and the Restless
"Daytime is 100 percent its own type of beast!" says Kirkwood, who plays Jordan Wilde on Y&R. "We have to shoot an episode a day, so the turnover time between takes is a lot quicker. You can’t really make anything precious with daytime. You’re constantly moving to the next scene, then the next scene."

Longtime General Hospital star Kimberly McCullough happy real-life pregnancy written into character's story
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, McCullough (Robin) discusses the decision to write her pregnancy into GH. “It’s cool because it makes Robin and Patrick more real, obviously, since I’m pregnant with his baby,” she enthuses, “and it really helps this story, because Anna is sick and feeling really helpless. It’s a good incentive for Anna, something to look forward to.”

Alison Sweeney would never rule out a return to Days of our Lives
“I think I learned a good lesson from Days and that's you never say never,” said Sweeney, who played Sami Brady. “I loved my job, I loved playing Sami…my door is always open to opportunities.”

South African soap opera 7de Laan airs first same-sex kiss
In the episode, Oppiekoffie waitresses Amorey (Kristen Raath) and Petro (Carla van der Merwe), who’ve both had a crush on handsome Logan (Simon Tuit), find out that he’s actually gay when he kisses his husband, Divan (Arnu de Villiers), in front of them.

44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Drama Performer Pre-Nominations Revealed

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the Drama Performer Pre-Nominations for the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

The process used to determine those chosen as Pre-Nominated performers follows:

An online judging ballot containing all entrants in each of four performer categories (Lead Actor and Actress and Supporting Actor and Actress) was sent to all registered, eligible peer judges. The ballot contained a randomized order of performers in each category, regardless of their show affiliation. Judges were required to view clips online containing the work of each performer entry before selecting their top 10 performer choices in each category.

Ballots were submitted directly to Lutz & Carr, Inc., an independent accounting firm, who tabulated the results. The candidates below who received the highest number of votes now advance to the blue ribbon screening round, scheduled to begin on February 20, 2017, which will determine both nominees and recipients. Please note that this release also contains the names of the entrants for the Younger Actor and Actress categories, who will proceed directly to the Blue Ribbon Round. Nominations will be announced on Wednesday, March 22, live on The Talk on CBS.

Pre-nominated performers in alphabetical order in six categories follow below:

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kristian Alfonso, as Hope Williams Brady on Days of our Lives, NBC

Sharon Case, as Sharon McAvoy on The Young and the Restless, CBS

Melissa Claire Egan, as Chelsea Newman on The Young and the Restless, CBS

Mary Beth Evans, as Kayla Brady on Days of our Lives, NBC

Nancy Lee Grahn, as Alexis Davis on General Hospital, ABC

Jen Lilley, as Theresa Donovan Black on Days of our Lives, NBC

Gina Tognoni, as Phyllis Newman on The Young and the Restless, CBS

Heather Tom, as Katie Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Jess Walton, as Jill Abbott on The Young and the Restless, CBS

Laura Wright, as Carly Corinthos on General Hospital, ABC

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Maurice Benard, as Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital, ABC

Peter Bergman, as Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless, CBS

If NBC Cancels 'Days of our Lives' at Some Point, It Likely Will Have Nothing to do with Megyn Kelly

Megyn Kelly may be headed to NBC's 9 a.m. weekday timeslot instead of
afternoons, where a new show might be considered as a replacement for
Days of our Lives.

FOX News host Megyn Kelly officially signed on with NBC last week, wrapping her popular 9 p.m. ET program on Friday. Kelly will be hosting daily daytime show and a Sunday newsmagazine program at NBC, and the announcement kicked off much speculation that the weekday show she will be leading at her new network might replace iconic soap opera Days of our Lives. Days is officially renewed through this September, but is likely to be picked up for another season, until September 2018. Unless, of course, NBC finds a surefire replacement series, but those are very hard to come by, including Kelly's, especially with an audience as loyal as soap viewers.

People Magazine reported last week that a source connected to Days revealed that several cast members were told that this upcoming year of the series will likely be its last. The source said executives at the show have given some key staffers indication that their days are numbered.

“Basically, we’ve heard that there won’t be a Days in 2018,” said the source associated with the show, which recently celebrated its 51st anniversary.

Despite that worrison report, sources inside and outside NBC are now telling The Hollywood Reporter that Kelly may be headed for mornings instead of afternoons, with the network possibly giving Kelly the troubled 9 a.m. hour of Today. The move could solve the network's ratings woes without the hassle of launching a daytime talk show that would likely have an uphill climb when making its sales pitch to affiliates.

With Kelly, NBC News execs have the opportunity to rebrand the 9 a.m. hour of Today to fit her strengths as a reporter and interviewer and also achieve some flow between the more news-focused flagship block.

"It's another high-end talent in your most profitable block," says one industry observer. "If you keep her in her lane, can she do her kind of show at 9 a.m. versus 9 p.m.? I'd buy that."

Regardless of what happens with Kelly, Days fans are still worried about the show's future after the next renewal. Ratings will likely need to pick up significantly to justify production beyond September 2018, at least on NBC. It's hard to imagine the show's production company, Sony Pictures Television, would not pursue alternative outlets before letting the beloved daytime drama sign off forever.

44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards: Changes and New Categories

The 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards process is now underway. Below is a look at this year's new categories, and changes to old categories.

NEW CATEGORIES
* The Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series program category has now expanded to 4 associated performer categories: Along with newly designated Lead Actress and Lead Actor categories, there is now - Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series.
* The work of Directors in Preschool Animated programs is now honored in its own category - Outstanding Directing in a Preschool Animated Program.
* The work of Sound Mixing and Editing for Preschool Animated programs can now be entered in the new categories of Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Preschool Animated Program and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Preschool Animated Program.

CATEGORY CHANGES AND ADJUSTMENTS
* Talk Shows (both Talk Show/Entertainment and Talk Show/Informative) may now submit up to 2 episodes from the 2016 Calendar year in order to better represent the diversity and multitude of content presented over the course of a season.
* To better represent the variety of production elements and challenges over a season, in the category of Outstanding Directing in a Talk Show/Entertainment News or Morning Program, Directors may now submit a clip reel with a total running time of up to 40 minutes of highlights from up to 5 episodes from the 2016 Calendar year.
* On-Camera Musical Performances from any appropriate Daytime show can now enter the newly renamed category of Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program. A reminder that the Award recognizes the work of the Principle Artist and the Program’s production of the performance. Multiple entries are accepted for performances by different musical artists appearing on a
program throughout the 2016 Calendar year.
* For the Blue Ribbon Judging round, Performers from all Drama Performer categories can now submit up to 20 minutes TRT of appearances from UP TO FOUR Episodes from the 2016 Calendar year.
* In the categories of Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team and Drama Series Writing Team, shows may submit 2 episodes from the 2016 Calendar year for evaluation.
* Outstanding Children’s Series has been updated to Outstanding Children’s and Family Viewing Series, in order to better reflect general family viewing and Educational and Informational programming. Related Performer, Host and Craft categories have now been adjusted to accommodate the change.

NEWS: Jensen Buchanan, Justin Hartley, Eric Braeden, Victoria Rowell, Bryan Cranston, Pablo Azar, Jeff Bezos

Jensen Buchanan, photo via Santa Maria Times.

Jensen Buchanan pleads not guilty to DUI crash charges
Buchanan, charged with felony DUI in a head-on collision just outside Buellton in May, pleaded not guilty in Santa Maria Superior Court on October 14.

Buchanan (Vicky on Another World, Sarah on One Life to Live, et al) appeared with defense attorney Meryl Chambers, who entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of her client. Deputy District Attorney Tiffany Dix is prosecuting the case.

Judge Patricia Kelly ordered the actress to remain at the sober living facility and continue wearing the SCRAM (electronic monitoring) bracelet on her ankle until further review next month.

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos watched Days of our Lives as a kid
Before he was a tech titan worth $70 billion, Bezos said he spent his childhood summers on a ranch with his grandfather watching the soap opera Days of our Lives.

Eric Braeden offers The Young and the Restless brass input on his character, Victor Newman
“To be frank with you, I think that over the last few years, the scales tipped toward [Victor] being a bad guy,” Braeden tells Soap Opera Digest. “And, I have asked them to kindly not pull back on it but to remember that Victor always justifies his actions because something preceded it.”

Victoria Rowell speaks out about her discrimination lawsuit against CBS and Sony
“Here in Hollywood, I have long championed diversity,” says Rowell, who played Drucilla Barber Winters for years on The Young and the Restless. “Not only for African-Americans, but for all minorities, for gender bias, et cetera.”

The upcoming trial is set to take place on April 17, 2017, and Rowell is confident that she’ll be pleased with the outcome.

“I believe that I will prevail,” she says.

Justin Hartley on Ellen.

This Is Us star Justin Hartley Strips Out of His Shirt for a Good Cause
In partnership with Ulta, Ellen DeGeneres asked the recent Young and the Restless alum up to get hit with water balloons during Thursday's episode of her daytime talk show, all in the name of breast cancer research.

The objective was simple—Hartley sat tight in a chair while DeGeneres and her other guest, Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams, took turns pulling sticks from a Jenga-styled contraption. As they pulled out the sticks, the balloons began dropping on the Hollywood hunk's head.

Watch Hartley's appearance on Ellen below.

Former daytime writer Suzanne Johnson shares experiences at Oswego State
Johnson, a story lead for Pocket Gems’ Episode Interactive mobile gaming app, spoke to students about her career on October 10.

During her career, Johnson worked her way up from an assistant to the vice president of programming and talent development for ABC Daytime for almost 20 years. She wrote for All My Children and oversaw One Life to Live.

General Hospital awkwardly works in mention of Marvel Comics movie Doctor Strange
Product placement has been popularized in the entertainment industry these days to boost promotion. This often happens between shows or films under the same mother company to help endorse a certain product. As for the unexpected Doctor Strange mention on General Hospital recently, viewers slammed the crossover for being totally irrelevant and obvious.

In a conversation of Ned Ashton (Wally Kurth) and Olivia Falconeri (Lisa LoCicero) where the former expressed his sweet talk to the latter saying "I missed you," Olivia blurted out, "Well, Dr. Strange is about to hit theaters pretty soon." The conversation went on with Ned saying, "You may be surprised to hear this, but if I can't see that movie with you, I won't see it." The scene ended with Olivia kissing Ned.

GH airs on ABC, which is owned by Disney, which owns Marvel, which is distributing Doctor Strange.

Y&R alum Darius McCrary cast in Lee Daniels' Star
McCrary (formerly Malcolm on Y&R) has booked a recurring role opposite Queen Latifah in new Fox series Star, created/executive produced by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy. Set in Atlanta, Star revolves around three talented young singers (Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O’Grady) who navigate the cutthroat music business on their road to success. McCrary will play Otis Leecan, a nasty piece of work who’s obsessed with his foster daughter Simone (O’Grady). He will do everything in his power to drag her back from Atlanta after she runs away. He’s clever, manipulative and dangerous. But he’s met his match in Simone and her sister Star (Demorest).

Bryan Cranston reflects on his soap opera start on Loving
"There was something that happened when I turned 25, and I got a job in New York on that soap opera [Loving]. It wasn’t necessarily the soap opera that did it for me, it was the timing. I felt like I crossed a threshold. I felt like I belonged, that I wasn’t fooling anybody and deserved to be there. Even though that’s the Joe Stuart period where [the Loving producer] fired me unceremoniously. But even then, as you saw, I was licking my wounds, and I went to Central Park and saw the marathon and felt, I’m going to do this next year. And I did."

Jon Hamm and Jimmy Fallon get dramatic for Tonight Show soap opera sketch
Called In the Dust of Night, Hamm and Fallon played two friends and business partners who always find themselves in dramatic situations – usually ones that involve a cheating scandal with Fallon’s girlfriend. What truly separates this from other soap operas, though, is the turtle riding around the set in a toy car during takes.

Nutri-Brex prices surge in China following appearance on soap opera Ode to Joy
Weet-Bix, which is known as Nutri-Brex in China and U.K., is a cereal in the form of a biscuit. The cereal, which is highly popular in Australia and New Zealand, has been on the shelves in China for eight years.

It was only with its appearance on the popular Chinese soap opera Ode to Joy earlier this year, however, that millions more discovered the brand, spurring demand that emptied local supermarket shelves.

"We were doing okay then but then along came this opportunity and we just saw this huge spike in sales," Mark Roper, international business manager at Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing, which produces Weet-Bix, told CNBC's Street Signs on Wednesday.

Mary Boylan was Plattsburgh’s little known treasure
Boylan's credits included two daytime soap operas: The Secret Storm (playing Katie Logan) and As the World Turns.

He Stars in a Spanish-Language Soap. Why Is He Driving for Uber?
Pablo Azar, the green-eyed Mexican telenovela star, stepped out of a limousine and walked down the red carpet at an awards show here last year amid the usual celebrity mayhem. Cameras flashed. Fans shouted. Azar, 34, smiled broadly and walked inside.

But after the awards show, Azar did something his army of admirers would never have imagined: He changed out of his suit, climbed behind the wheel of his car and started his shift as an Uber driver, a job he relies on when he’s between acting gigs to pay his bills.

Azar's credits include Reina de corazones and Marido En Alquiler.

Netflix breaks up with Mexico’s Televisa in the most soap-opera way possible
The beginning of a recent Netflix Latin America ad explained to viewers that the streaming content company has just parted ways with Mexico’s main television station, Televisa. The video showed a preppy-looking young man with slicked-back hair, buttoned-up shirt and a high-pitched voice. He looks devastated. A young woman walks into the room.

— What is it, my love? Why the long face?

— Netflix took off my favorites series...

Netflix is making fun of what was some of its own most-watched content. The break-up means that Netflix no longer offers the content that Televisa was supplying, mostly soap operas. And it has chosen to tell viewers about it in the funniest way possible. The message is clear: “We are eliminating the soaps, but leaving you other much more interesting series.”

NEWS: Ingo Rademacher, Rick Hearst, Pierson Fodé, Martha Byrne, Alicia Minshew, Terri Conn, Billy Flynn

Ingo Rademacher

Ingo Rademacher returning to General Hospital as Jax
The actor, who made his Port Charles debut in 1996 and most recently reprised the role of Carly’s ex-husband in July, announced his latest return with a succinct Instagram post (“Back! @generalhospitalabc”). When Jax appeared over the summer, it was hinted that he had played a larger role in daughter Josslyn receiving Nelle’s kidney on the black market than he was letting on. Expect the actor to be back on-screen during November sweeps.

General Hospital star Rick Hearst books multi-episode stint on Daytime Divas
Hearst (Ric on GH) has landed a multiepisode stint on the VHI series Daytime Divas, set behind the scenes of a fictional talk show. “Well Atlanta you definitely are showing me that relocation was wise,” Hearst posted on Instagram. “Just booked an arc to play opposite the multi talented, and stunning #vanessawilliams on the #vh1 series #daytimedivas.”

Terri Conn and Alicia Minshew join faith-based movie Wholly Borken
Terri Conn (formerly Katie on As the World Turns and Aubrey in One Life to Live) and Alicia Minshew (formerly Kendall on All My Children) are at work on a faith-based movie musical titled Wholly Broken, which is shooting in Hampton Bays, NY. “Hello Hamptons!!! So excited to begin filming #WhollyBroken w/ @alicia_minshew,” Conn tweeted.

Pierson Fodé

The Bold and the Beautiful's Pierson Fodé lands role in It's Time film
Fodé (Thomas on B&B) has been cast as Brad Gaines in the film It’s Time, which tells the story of NCAA players Roy Lee “Chucky” Mullins and Brad Gaines’s friendship after a tragic accident during a football game that left Mullins paralyzed. Fodé posted on Instagram, “So proud to be apart of such an incredible and heart breaking TRUE story. My life has already changed in so many ways since picking up this script. spending time with #BradGaines , understanding how tragedy rocked both his Chucky’s (portrayed by the great @sedale3t ) lives. Most importantly how a deep friendship and love was created and never lost. To see the story Check Fritz’s @espn 30/30 documentary “it’s time” on @netflix”

Days of our Lives star Billy Flynn books Blood River movie role
Flynn (Chad on Days) has been cast in the film D.O.A. Blood River. The film tells the story of pharmaceutical rep Sam Collins, who travels from Los Angeles to a small town in Louisiana for business. “So excited I can finally share this news!!!!” the actor enthused on Instagram. “I can’t wait to tell THIS story…with such an amazing cast and@stephencyrussepher at the helm it’s going to be a really special experience.#DOAbloodriver #werecoming #lovehard @deadline”

Martha Byrne and the cast of "In the Car with
Blossom and Len".

As the World Turns alum Martha Byrne returns to New York stage
Byrne (formerly Lily on ATWT) has joined the cast of "In the Car with Blossom and Len" at Queens Theatre from November 11-20.

Departing General Hospital star Bryan Craig: "I've learned a new work ethic"
"As an actor, I have grown just from being on set and constantly working," Craig (Morgan on GH) tells Soap Opera Digest. "As a person, I’ve learned a new work ethic. I’d never worked that often and with that much material ever in my life. I learned to prioritize, to be more responsible. I think I’ve grown up a lot in the three-and-a-half years that I’ve been there."

NEWS: Kim Matula, Mal Young, Rhonda Ross, Sean Kanan, Tom Degnan

Kim Matula stars in Season 2 of UnREAL. Photo by James
Dittiger Copyright 2016

The Bold and the Beautiful alum Kim Matula savors every salacious minute on UnREAL
“As an actor, I’m not incredibly pleased with the popularity of reality shows,” says Matula, who’s most widely known for her five-year run as Hope Logan on B&B. “As an actor, I want there to be lots of scripted shows — and I want them to be really well-written scripted shows.”

“When I got the audition notice for this show, I watched the first episode and got hooked,” she says. “I just loved it so much that I went and downloaded the entire first season before auditioning."

Local South Dakota would-be stars audition for soap opera roles
Several dozen people went to the Rushmore Mall on Friday afternoon to audition for a walk-on role in one of two CBS soap operas: The Young and the Restless or The Bold and the Beautiful.

KELOLand, the local CBS affiliate, coordinated the casting call as part of regional auditions held throughout July. The local casting committee will select 10 finalists from each region. The national network will select the winners.

New The Young and the Restless executive producer Mal Young loves a vocal audience
“If they weren’t vocal, I would worry, because their opinions count," Young said in the new issue of Soap Opera Digest. "I love that. I encourage that, but then you have to surprise them. You can’t just keep saying, ‘Let’s give them what they want. ‘ We’ve got to give them what surprises them and thrills them.”

How Mal Young got sucked into Y&R
When the pilots he developed with Simon Fuller failed to be picked up, Young found himself approached by Sony to take a look at Y&R. “I was honored to be asked my opinion,” he tells CBS Soaps in Depth. “But also, when I really started to watch it, the quality shone through. I was just sucked into it. To be passionate and be part of the people involved in keeping this thing going, I love it.”

Red Rock coming to BBC1's afternoon lineup
The drama is told from the point of view of the officers from the local Garda station where the men and women there police the surrounding area. This program was originally shown in Ireland in 2015. It is being shown here in double length episodes each weekday afternoon.

Motown progeny (and Another World alum) Rhonda Ross makes her own music
Ross (Toni Burrell on AW) is enjoying spending time, professionally and personally, with her mother, Diana Ross.

“We are working together in a way we never have before,” says Ross, who appears on her mom’s “In the Name of Love Tour,” in the Bay Area this week.

The Bold and the Beautiful star Sean Kanan announces new comedy gigs
Kanan (Deacon Sharpe on B&B) will be taking his stand up comedy act to the Lake Tahoe/Reno/Auburn CA area next week, and the actor/comedian couldn’t be more thrilled. “My routine is getting stronger and stronger,” he beams. “I’m doing more and more material, and working towards filming a half-hour special, hopefully before the end of the year.”

EastEnders character's life is set to be left hanging in the balance (spoilers)
The drama begins when the Beales and Mitchells receive a call to say Ben (Harry Reid) has been involved in a mystery incident, and has been rushed to hospital with critical injuries. Desperate to find out what’s happened, Phil and Ian panic and make their way to hospital - but what news awaits them? These scenes air on Monday, July 18.

Tom Degnan marries Erin Cummings
Tom Degnan (Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live) married actress Erin Cummings over the Fourth of July weekend at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at The University of Notre Dame. The couple was introduced by Christian Campbell (Bobby on All My Children) and his wife, America Olivo.

NEWS: Deidre Hall, Mary Lynn Blanks, Kelly Ripa, Sean Blakemore, James Franco, Camila Banus, Taraji P. Henson

Mary Lynn Blanks: The Soap Opera Actress Who Captured Chuck Blazer's Heart
Vice.com has posted a fascinating excerpt involving one-time soap opera star Mary Lynn Blanks (ex-Tara Martin, All My Children; ex-Annie Stewart, As the World Turns; ex-Jenny Baylor, Loving; ex-Thelma, Another World) from the forthcoming book "AMERICAN HUCKSTER: How Chuck Blazer Got Rich From-and Sold Out-the Most Powerful Cabal in World Sports" by Mary Papenfuss and Teri Thompson. Copyright © 2016 by Mary Papenfuss and Teri Thompson. To be published on April 26, 2016 by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

"Mary Lynn Blanks was stunned to receive a letter out of the clear blue from long-ago lover Chuck Blazer offering sunny birthday greetings when she turned fifty. Blazer boasted in the October 2002 note that he had achieved 'most of my goals, both professional and personally.' He expressed the hope that she was enjoying a good life too."

100-year-old Days of our Lives fan meets cast members
Ann Young didn't know what to expect when 12 News sat her in front of a laptop and dialed a number on Skype. The people who answered were people she had only seen through her television set-they were members of her favorite show, Days of our Lives. Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) was joined briefly by her co-star Kristian Alfonso (Hope Brady) to wish Ann a very happy 100th birthday. After Kristian returned to work, Ann talked with Deidre for almost 20 minutes. They talked about the show, about Ann's love for the characters and the entertainment. Deidre asked Ann what her secret to long life is.

"Oh, surround yourself with young people, and lie about your age," Ann said.

Watch the 12 News story below.

NEWS:Thad Luckinbill, William Fichtner, Eric Braeden, Adrienne Frantz, McKinley Freeman, Kelli Goss, Obba Babantudé, Cornelius Smith Jr.

William Fichtner

As the World Turns alum William Fichtner signs on for multi-episode arc on Mom
"There’s a really wonderful romantic storyline coming up that we’re going to get started on with a wonderful actor named William Fichtner (who played Josh Snyder/Rod Landry on ATWT); he gets involved with Allison’s character, Bonnie," Mom executive producer Chuck Lorre says. "It begins as a wrong phone number, and it evolves into a really wonderful relationship. He’s a great actor, so we’re lucky to get him."

On the CBS comedy, Fichtner will appear in a multi-episode arc as new love interest, Adam.

Actor Eric Braeden doesn't think allowing Marco to have sex with Phyllis on The Young and the Restless should be considered rape
"Victor doesn’t see it that way. His response would probably be, 'Hell, no, she enjoyed it!' But, yes, it was a horrible thing to do, and this will test Victor as never before."

Kin Shriner, Stephen Nichols, A Martinez, Doug
Davidson, Don Diamont and Michael. E. Knight.
Photo Credit: Ramona Rosales

Six Iconic Soap Stars Look Back at the Wild ’80s and Reveal Their Secrets to Survival
Six of the hottest, hunkiest daytime stars of the Reagan era were brought together for TV Guide Magazine’s ’80s issue. Kin Shriner (Scotty Baldwin, General Hospital), Stephen Nichols (“Patch” Johnson, Days of our Lives), A Martinez (Cruz Castillo, Santa Barbara), Doug Davidson (Paul Williams, The Young and the Restless), Don Diamont (Brad Carlton, Y&R) and Michael E. Knight (Tad “the Cad” Martin, All My Children) sat down for a straight-shooting talk about stardom and survival.

"It was the Wild West," Shriner explained. "We were all young and loving it. And the girls were nonstop! They’d shove me and Tony Geary out onstage for a fan event where 10,000 women were screaming our names, but we had no act. When the screaming died down, we were stuck out there going, 'Uh, now what?'"

The Young and the Restless alum Thad Luckinbill books series regular role in ABC’s untitled Meaghan Oppenheimer drama pilot, executive produced by Reese Witherspoon
Written by Oppenheimer, the project follows the personal and professional life of Gemma, a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas, which begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces, triggering self-destructive tendencies and exposing long-hidden family secrets. Charity Wakefield will play Jules, Gemma’s younger sister. Described as manic, emotionally unstable, and lacking any trace of a filter, Jules is the epitome of loneliness gone wrong. Whereas her older sister Gemma has built up walls of icy protection around her, Jules is desperate for any bit of love she can get. Luckinbill (who formerly played J.T. Hellstrom on Y&R) is Oliver, Gemma’s trophy fiance, the preppy trust fund kid with classic good looks. He would be detestable if he weren’t such a nice guy.

One Life to Live alum Blair Underwood will play a law professor in the pilot.

Hit the Floor star McKinley Freeman appreciates his time working on daytime soap opera
Freeman played small roles on All My Children, Days of our Lives and General Hospital before landing his breakthrough role on the VH1 drama.

"Working on soaps was amazing for me," Freeman, who plays Derek Roman on Hit the Floor, told The Huffington Post. "It was an opportunity to work and learn as I went. Since I was headed towards the business route (BS, Finance/MBA, Marketing - MIS), the last time I was in an acting class, it was my school's fourth grade production of the Wizard Oz (I was the Scarecrow). Working on the soaps was great for me, and I still have good friends doing amazing work on soaps like B.J Miller, Molly Burnett and Sal Stowers."

Why All My Children alum Cornelius Smith Jr. almost broke down at his first Scandal table read
"I’ll never forget my very first table read: Shonda introduces me and says, 'Welcome Cornelius Smith Jr. to Scandal, everyone,' and the applause—it was a mini standing ovation," Smith Jr., who plays Marcus Walker, explained to Gotham Magazine. "They clapped for me and it was such an amazing feeling. I felt so much love, I was so grateful. And if they would’ve kept clapping for like ten more seconds, I probably would’ve broke down right there."

Amazon’s The Interestings continues to shape its cast
Sasha Frolova has joined the cast as a series regular, Variety is reporting. Frolova joins the large ensemble that includes David Krumholtz, Lauren Ambrose, Jessica Pare and Jessica Collins (ex-Avery Bailey Clark, The Young and the Restless).

Adrienne Frantz is selling her home for $3.28 million.

Daytime alum Adrienne Frantz is selling her Studio City home for $3.28 million
Frantz‘s four-bedroom 5,150-square-foot Spanish-style home is listed for $3.28 million and stuffed with goodies. Built in 1925, the home offers some vintage details such as the sliding cabinets that reveal secret passageways. Frantz is best known for her portrayal of Amber Moore on both The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless. The new mom is married to The Bay star Scott Bailey, who previously starred as Sandy Foster on Guiding Light.

Obba Babantudé defends his The Bold and the Beautiful character's actions
“Julius [Avant] represents much of what we’re seeing going on in the world today, the people who say, ‘Hey, we’re not accepting that,’” says the actor of his alter ego’s reluctance to embrace Maya’s transformation to a transgender woman. “It would be easy enough to make him a jerk, but he’s actually an articulate, intelligent man, who happens to love his children. That’s what makes him so interesting. He feels the way he feels with a sense of righteous indignation.”

Trai Byers slams report he wants out of Empire
Byers took to Instagram to rebut this week’s Page Six story, writing: “I don’t normally spend my time dispelling rumors, but there is something I’d like to address. I have nothing but love and respect for Empire and all who are involved on the show. I have a fabulous relationship with FOX, and hold myself to the highest standards professionally.”

Byers plays Andre Lyon on the hit primetime soap. He previously played Mookie on All My Children.

Former The Young and the Restless actress Kelli Goss has landed a role in the new CBS comedy pilot Furst Born
Deadline is reporting that Goss (who played ss on Y&R) will be starring opposite Katey Sagal and John Carroll Lynch in the pilot about a wife and mother who learns she was adopted and her birth parents are a flamboyant family of drag-racers. Goss will be playing Brianna, who can add sparkle to any event simply by showing up.

NEWS: Eileen Davidson, Jason Thompson, Kimberly McCullough, Arianne Zucker, Robert Palmer Watkins

TV Is Hot in Cleveland, Cold in San Francisco
Nielsen released a report showing how much time viewers in the top 25 U.S. markets spend watching live and time-shifted TV. The overall data shows adults 25 to 54 in 24 of those top 25 watch more than three hours of live TV per day.

Cleveland viewers watch the most, with an average of 4 hours and 42 minutes a day, followed by Baltimore (4:38), Detroit (4:37), Pittsburgh (4:31), Philadelphia (4:30) and St. Louis (4:20). The market with the least amount of time watched was San Francisco, where viewers only watched a average of 2:45 minutes of live TV a day.

The Young and the Restless star Eileen Davidson reveals a dark secret no one knew about
On last week's episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Davidson (Ashley on Y&R) revealed that she was in a physically abusive relationship years ago. In her Bravo TV blog, she wrote: "I've been very blessed in my life. I'm a wife, a mother, stepmother, actress, author, and many other things. But these aren't the only labels that define me. I'm also a physical abuse survivor."

The Young and the Restless star Jason Thompson reflects on the past year
"It’s been an amazing year, to be honest, to look back on it," says Thompson (Billy on Y&R). "It feels really smooth, in the best kind of way. There’s been a lot of transition, but...it feels really, really good. To be honest, we got married and I was on General Hospital for 10 years, and that job changed my life in a really big way. And after 10 years, it just felt like the right time to make another change. The person that hired me was Jill Farren Phelps at General Hospital, and she is now the executive producer over at Y&R. So, she changed my life once, and we said – coming up at my 10 years at General Hospital – it just felt like the right thing to do, in order for me and my family to make a change, and artistically to make a change. That’s how I find myself at Y&R right now. So far, it’s been really fantastic."

General Hospital's Kimberly McCullough directs this week's episode of Pretty Little Liars
McCullough (GH's Robin) admits that having to wait six months between being told she had the job and actually getting behind the camera was tough, but it gave her time to do research. “It’s a lot like a soap opera,” she tells Soaps In Depth. “So I started at season one and I watched every single episode. And I would write diaries about the character and what they were going through so I was really clear on the history. It’s a very intertwined, twisty-turny kind of a show.”

Days of our Lives star Arianne Zucker looks back on her time in Salem in new Glamour interview
"I think now that time has gone on, I have infused Ari's personality with Nicole's," says Zucker (Nicole on Days). "Some of my wispy little 'Woos!' you know, one-liners—sometimes I can throw a little bite in there 'cause it's fun. I love Nicole. I always feel bad for her, and I'm in love with her. I think what's happening is myself and her are blending because I want her to do the right thing. She's now so much more emotionally charged, and I'm a very mushy person in real life. I love to laugh, so I try to put some of that in her because there's really no ending to a soap opera. So, my arcs are always, I take two weeks worth of scripts and give myself my own arcs, so I never get bored."

Has NBC already renewed Days of our Lives?
Serial Scoop's Michael Goldberg is hearing the show has been renewed, even though NBC said last week they would begin negotiating with Sony Pictures Television in February.

General Hospital star Robert Palmer Watkins has released a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself"
“My roommates and I are all great friends and love collaborating on creative projects,” Watkins (Dillon on GH) tells Soaps In Depth. “Most of us are actors and musicians."

Watch the video below:

NEWS: Nielsen, Forbes March, Nathan Owens, Ryan McPartlin, Jason Thompson, Kate del Castillo

Nielsen "Social Content Ratings" will include Facebook and Twitter chatter
The deal is part of a broader effort at Nielsen to improve its methods for measuring how people watch television today.

The company has faced harsh criticism in recent years from TV and advertising executives, who complain that Nielsen has failed to keep pace with the digital transformation that has reshaped the industry. As a result, they say, it is not accurately capturing the real audience for shows.

Forbes March

One Life to Live alum Forbes March is now a lumber entrepreneur
In 2009, March (Nash Brennan on OLTL) quit acting, moved to Jeffersonville, New York, and established the New York Firewood Company. The firm now supplies kiln-dried, plastic-wrapped bundles of logs to seventy-five restaurants and hundreds of private residences in and around New York City.

“We got college kids, we got professors, we have old families on the Upper East Side—I’ve delivered firewood to the Roosevelts—we have Irish pub owners,” March said.

Passions alum Ryan McPartlin joins Devious Maids
McPartlin (Hank Bennett on Passions) will play Kyle, a sweet, fun, and impossibly sexy new neighbor. He’s basically every woman’s fantasy except for one small catch — he has an unusually close relationship with his mother.

Desperate Housewives stars Eva Longoria and James Denton join Devious Maids
Details of Longoria’s role are being kept under wraps, while Denton will play Peter, the head of a movie studio who “falls hard and fast into a new relationship.”

Days of our Lives alum Nathan Owen upped to series regular on Devious Maids
Owens (Cameron Davis on Days) joined last season in the recurring role of Jesse Morgan, and has been upped to series regular for Season 4. Julie Claire, who recurred last season, also will be returning for Season 4.

HBO orders David Simon and James Franco’s ‘70s porn drama The Deuce to series
The series stars Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

FABLife canceled following departure of Tyra Banks
The ratings-challenged daytime talk show will continue to make episodes for the remainder of the season, but it won't be back for a second season.

The Young and the Restless star Jason Thompson an expectant father
Jason Thompson (Billy on Y&R) and wife Paloma Jonas, who are set to become first-time parents in May. "It’s just another crazy change in the world of my world changing," the actor, who recently made the leap from GH to Y&R, tells Soap Opera Digest. "I'm very excited about it."

Mexico probes Kate del Castillo 'business dealings' with El Chapo
Mexico's Attorney General Arely Gomez has said that actress Kate del Castillo is being investigated for possible illegal business dealings with jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The telenovela star set up the meeting in October between Guzman, who was then on the run, and actor, Sean Penn. She denies any illicit links with Guzman, who was arrested on January 8.

NEWS: Jake Weary, Jen Lilley, Shari Belafonte, B.J. Britt, Bryan Cranston, Wilson Bethel, Kylie Bunbury, Mariah Carey

As the World Turns alums Jake Weary and Daniella Alonso star in TNT's Animal Kingdom
Weary (ATWT's Luke Snyder) stars as Deran Cody in the series inspired by the award-winning feature film. The story centers around a teenager who moves in with his relatives at their beachfront home after his mother dies of an overdose. The family is run by matriarch Janine, played by Emmy winner Ellen Barkin, and the teen is drawn into their life of indulgence and excess, but soon discovers the dark truth behind their dangerous world. Weary plays the troubled and suspicious youngest Cody son. Fellow ATWT alum Daniella Alonso (Pilar) plays Catherine, the wife of Baz, played by Scott Speedman.

Days of our Lives star Jen Lilley launches clothing line for charity
Lilley (Theresa on Days) has designed a clothing line to raise money for her favorite charity, Childhelp. She tweeted, "BIG NEWS: I've teamed up with BeYourOwnYou and designed an exclusive clothing line to raise money for my favorite charity, childhelp! #childhelp#byou #clothingforacause Check it out and please SHARE this post!

Sam Behrens encouraged Shari Belafonte to take on the role of Janice on General Hospital
January 19 will mark Shari Belafonte's first GH appearance as the new Janice Lomax, mayor of Port Charles. "In truth, I had never thought about doing one," she says of making her soap debut. "But when my manager first asked me if I'd be interested in doing this, I thought, 'You know what? I bet you can teach this old dog a couple of new tricks!’ " Her husband, Sam Behrens, who played Jake Meyer on the show from 1983-1987, encouraged her to take the gig. "He was very much like, 'Oh, you're going to have a good time,' " Belafonte tells Soap Opera Digest.

UnREAL casts Being Mary Jane and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor B.J. Britt as its next suitor
By featuring a black suitor on Everlasting, the Bachelor-esque show-within-a-show on UnREAL, the Lifetime series is going where ABC hasn’t yet dared: There has never been a black bachelor in 20 seasons, nor a black bachelorette in 11 seasons of The Bachelorette.

Loving alum Bryan Cranston scores his first Oscar nomination, for Trumbo
Will the multiple Emmy-winning Breaking Bad alum dominate the Academy Awards, too?

Jamie Foxx’s Darktown will explore race in 1940s Atlanta
Foxx is teaming with former Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal on a 1948 Atlanta-set drama about the city’s first black police officers, who are forced to lead segregated lives.

How to Get Away with Murder casts Adam Arkin, Roxanne Hart and Wilson Bethel
Bethel (ex-Ryder, The Young and the Restless) has landed the role of Charles Mahoney, the Ivy League-educated son of Arkin’s Wallace (a Warren Buffet type who’s quiet and observant, but knows how to command a room when he chooses) and Hart’s Sylvia (a tough yet distinguished and smart socialite).

Empire and Scream Queens renewed by FOX
Empire’s third season episode order has yet to be determined, while Scream Queens will head to a new location for Season 2.

Scream Queens familiar faces will return
Expect Jamie Lee Curtis to be back, along with Lea Michele.

Mariah Carey won't be coming to Empire after all
Despite Lee Daniels saying repeatedly that “Mariah is coming on,” there are currently no plans to have her on the show this season, according to Daniels' fellow co-creator Danny Strong. The same goes for Oprah Winfrey. Strong tells The Hollywood Reporter: "None of those people are going to actually be on the show so I can't control what names all of a sudden take off as being guest stars because they're not."

American Horror Story Season 6 will be "set in two time periods”
FX president John Landgraf says Season 6 will mostly be set in the present.

Quantico will make three-month time jump when it returns from hiatus
Viewers won’t immediately learn what happened after the midseason finale shocker.

FOX orders 24: Legacy pilot, featuring an “all-new cast of characters”
Kiefer Sutherland will still be listed as a producer on the new 24, which FOX says "will revolve around a military hero’s return to the U.S. and the trouble that follows him back—compelling him to ask CTU for help in saving his life, and stopping what potentially could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.”

FOX orders Prison Break event series, with Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell returning
The original production team behind the 2005-2009 FOX drama will be back, including creator Paul T. Scheuring.

FOX orders female baseball drama pilot, Pitch
Under the Dome alum Kylie Bunbury will play a young female pitcher who makes it to the major leagues.

“Screech” begins his 4-month jail sentence
Saved by the Bell alum Dustin Diamond is now behind bars for stabbing a man at a Wisconsin bar.

NEWS: Genie Francis, Kate del Castillo, Hayden Panettiere, Nancy Lee Grahn, Laura Dern, Jonathan Wrather, Paul Lee

General Hospital's Genie Francis: On Losing Weight and Loving Life
In a new Mind Your Body with Stephanie Stephens video, Francis dishes weight loss secrets and more. She is open about her own insecurities and has taken smart steps to educate herself about eating. The GH star is "a shining example" of the benefits of “knowing thyself” and how food really can be your friend if you take time to get to know it better. As a spokesperson for Nutrisystem, she’s a "walking encyclopedia" of smart eating, so she provided some weight-loss secrets. Watch the segment below.

Sean Penn secretly interviewed ‘El Chapo,’ Mexican drug lord, thanks to telenovela star Kate del Castillo
The interviews, originally for a proposed film but later written up by Penn in a Rolling Stone article, were held in a jungle clearing atop a mountain at an undisclosed location in Mexico. Surrounded by more than 100 cartel troops, and wearing a silk shirt and pressed black jeans, Mr. Guzmán sat down to dinner with Mr. Penn and Kate del Castillo, a Mexican actress who once played a drug kingpin in the soap opera La Reina del Sur.

In the end, the Mexican authorities said Friday night that Guzmán had been caught partly because he had been planning a movie about his life, and had contacted actors and producers, which had helped the authorities to track him down. Penn’s story says Guzmán, inundated with Hollywood offers while in prison, had indeed elected to make his own movie. del Castillo, whom he contacted through his lawyer after she posted supportive messages on Twitter, was the only person he trusted to shepherd the project, the story says. Penn heard about the connection with del Castillo through a mutual acquaintance, and asked if he might do an interview.

Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere returns to Nashville following medical leave
Panettiere — who in October took a leave of absence from the ABC drama to undergo treatment for postpartum depression — has returned to work on the series. An ABC rep declined to comment, but TVLine sources confirm that the actress reported back to the set on Friday to begin work on Season 4’s 14th episode, which is slated to air in April. (Nashville returns from its midseason break on March 16).

ABC boss says Nashville's future will be decided in May, but he wants to keep it going
ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee spoke to reporters Saturday at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, and said he remained supportive of the country music soap. A decision on the drama’s fate won’t be made until May. “We don’t have any plans to finish Nashville,” he said. “We have an incredibly passionate audience. There are no plans for Nashville other than to keep it going.”

Once Upon a Time has a “long, bright future”
Per Paul Lee at the Winter TCAs, ABC isn’t giving up on Once Upon a Time anytime soon, despite recent ratings struggles.

On Saturday, Nancy Lee Grahn attended “The Race
Factor & Rights vs. Responsibilities,” a community
talk at The King Center in Atlanta. Photo via
Eldredge ATL.

After her infamous Primetime Emmys tweets, General Hospital actress Nancy Grahn heads to Atlanta’s King Center to discuss lessons learned
Explains Grahn (who plays Alexis on GH): “Here’s what I learned. When Viola Davis was talking about race that night, I didn’t get it. It’s because I have white privilege. I grew up not seeing race and I grew up mistakenly believing that not seeing the color of someone’s skin was sign of respect. That’s probably true of a lot of white people. When Viola Davis was up there, I didn’t see a black actress. I just saw a great actress. And that’s the problem. People of color don’t have that privilege. It wasn’t something I had investigated. I never thought about white privilege because I didn’t have to. After all, the Band-Aids are manufactured to match my skin color, aren’t they? Now I’m digging into all of this. I’m learning and I have more to learn.”

Laura Dern joins the Twin Peaks revival
The casting reunites Dern with David Lynch, who directed her in Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Inland Empire. According to TVLine, Dern could also reunite with her Blue Velvet co-star Kyle MacLachlan, playing Agent Cooper’s secretary.

ABC’s Of Kings and Prophets may put racy censored scenes on the web
The midseason Biblical drama currently contains a provocative sex scene that may not cut it for broadcast TV.

ABC Family boss defends the Freeform name-change
ABC Family president Tom Ascheim said his cable network needed to move away from its “hallowed” brand names of Disney and ABC. Freeform, he added, sounds more fresh and hip.

Former Coronation Street actor Jonathan Wrather has joined the cast of Emmerdale as Pierce Harris
Wrather, who some viewers may recognise as con-man Joe Carter who tried to fleece Mike Baldwin in Corrie between 2002 and 2003, will join 'The Dales' in mid-February under dramatic circumstances.