B&B Wins Golden Nymph as TV Festival Closes

In the International TV Audience Awards segment of voting, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL was awarded the Golden Nymph in the "Best Telenovelas - Soap Operas" category on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the 2009 Monte Carlo Television Festival at Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

In attendance from the soap world were B&B's Ronn Moss (with wife Devin DeVasquez) and Ashley Jones, as well as Michelle Stafford from THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and many more.

In other awards news, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES won in the "Best Comedy TV Series" category.

In the Series TV segment, MAD MEN won in the "Outstanding International Producer," "Outstanding Actress," and "Outstanding Actor" categories.

51st TV Week Logie Award Winners

The 51st TV Week Logie Awards were held Sunday in Australia. DAYS OF OUR LIVES stars Kristian Alfonso and Peter Reckell walked the red carpet as did BROTHERS & SISTERS actress Rachel Griffiths.

Todd Lasance from HOME AND AWAY won the TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE — Most Popular Actor award.

PACKED TO THE RAFTERS star Rebecca Gibney won two Logies including the coveted Gold Logie for most popular TV personality.

Larry Hagman Inducted Into Texas Hall of Fame

The Texas Hall of Fame held their annual ceremony last night at Austin Studios to induct new members. The theme for this year’s event was “Red Hot Texas.” And what is more Texas than the ‘80s TV show DALLAS?

Larry Hagman was one of the inductees into the Hall of Fame. Inducting Hagman was his on-screen wife, Linda Gray.

Also in attendance were FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS star Kyle Chandler and his wife, Katherine. FNL films in Austin.

Out on The Town: Hennesy, Shields & Tunie

GENERAL HOSPITAL star Carolyn Hennesy attended the Eco Stiletto Green "Girl's Night Out for Dress for Success" event at Intuition last night in Los Angeles.

On Monday evening, LIPSTICK JUNGLE's Brooke Shields and former AS THE WORLD TURNS star Tamara Tunie were present at the 8th annual Epic Theatre Ensemble winter gala at Twenty Four Fifth in New York City.

Brittany Snow Celebrates Her Birthday

Former GUIDING LIGHT actress Brittany Snow, who is slated to star in the new GOSSIP GIRL spin-off, celebrated her birthday last night at Tao in Las Vegas with 90210's Jessica Stroup. Snow will turn 23 on Monday.

Lucci, Garth and Others Do Fashion Week

Susan Lucci and Jennie Garth were among the celebrities who walked the runway for Gustavo Cadile at the "Heart Truth Red Dress Collection" Fall 2009 fashion show at The Tent in Bryant Park today. This is part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week here in New York.

In this photo Lucci and Garth are getting ready for the show. Do you think they were discussing the big Bianca and Reese wedding today on ALL MY CHILDREN?

Other stars participating were 90210's Tori Spelling, former GUIDING LIGHT actresses Nia Long and Brittany Snow and former GENERATIONS star Vivica A. Fox.

Y&R Stars Attend Image Awards Luncheon

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS stars Tonya Lee Williams, Eva Marcille and Nia Peeples attended the 40th NAACP Image Awards Nominee Luncheon at The Beverly Hills Hotel earlier today. All three actresses are nominated this year in the "Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series" category. The awards will be handed out on Thursday, Feb. 12.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions from around the web.

WHO KILLED SPENCER?: In a preview of Thursday's episode, AS THE WORLD TURNS continues to dedicate the entire first week of November sweeps to the Spencer McKay story. Bad move.

PETA & POPPY: On Aussie soap OUT OF THE BLUE, Peta's storage cabinet has been broken into and later, she finds out Sean and a former client did time together.

A MARTINEZ: on Tuesday's ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Ray claims his innocence.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Preview of tonight's episode.

The Latest in Soap Videos

Here are some of the latest soap additions to YouTube:

KELLY'S BABY DADDY: The father of Kelly's son on 90210 revealed!

NIGHT SHIFT: On last night's episode, Kyle made brownies, Epiphany sang "Amazing Grace," Robin leans on Jagger and much more.

OUT OF THE BLUE: From the new Aussie soap, check out the lesbian romance between Peta and Poppy.

DARK SHADOWS: Minisode #34 - Victoria wants to know why Burke hired a private detective to investigate her.

News Brief

Asian actress quits EASTENDERS over producer's snub
EASTENDERS star Zahra Ahmadi walked out of the show after the producers refused to give her an exciting part. Sources have revealed that Ahmadi, who plays Shabnam Masood, left the show as she was barely featuring in new scripts.

"Zahra was really disappointed with the way scriptwriters used her character. You hardly ever saw her on screen. If she had been given exciting scenes she would have stayed for a long time," British tabloid The Sun quoted a source as saying. "Working on EastEnders is a dream come true for any aspiring star. But she began to feel she was wasting her time," the source added.

Zahra's decision comes a month after the BBC1 soap was condemned by race equality chief Trevor Phillips.

Darby Hinton reconnects with his Daniel Boone roots
Darby Hinton starts at the top of the Rowan County Courthouse steps with the camera following him down as he walks to the front sidewalk talking about Daniel Boone. Hinton is serving as host for a history and travel documentary on Boone and all the places his life touched in North Carolina, including Salisbury.

It's a reconnection of sorts for Hinton. From 1964 to 1970, he played the role of Israel Boone, the precocious son of Daniel Boone, in the popular DANIEL BOONE television series on NBC. He later went on to play the role of Ian Griffith on the DAYS OF OUR LIVES in the mid 1980s.

INTERVIEW: former GL and AW star David Andrew Macdonald
"I am sure at some point I will lose the appeal but it's fun and nice to run into fans who know you from the soaps. Especially if you are one that they are watching. Soap operas tell a story and in terms of escaping, watching them is like reading a book."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: DAYS original Kayla, Catherine Mary Stewart
Sweart will be playing Veronica in Generation Gap, a Hallmark Channel Original movie premiering at 9 p.m. Oct. 25.

Former OLTL star Tommy Lee Jones sues studio for $10 million
The veteran actor is suing the makers of No Country For Old Men for $10 million, which he claims he is owed for his role in last year's award-winning crime thriller.

Nikki Finke has additional details at Deadline Hollywood

Killer revealed in Aussie soap OUT OF THE BLUE

The wait is finally over for fans of the much underrated Aussie soap OUT OF THE BLUE, as this week they discover the identity of Philip 'Philby' McManus's killer.

Viewers have followed plot twists and turns for months as each of the characters in the show has come under the spotlight as the potential murderer. Philby was killed after a reunion party when a group of school friends came together for the first time in nine years.

Despite being moved between channels, subject to frequent schedule changes and often pre-empted for summer sport, OUT OF THE BLUE has found a loyal cult audience in the UK and has since been sold to numerous countries around the world. Although the BBC has confirmed that it will not co-fund episodes beyond the initial 130 already filmed, it is not clear if Southern Star in Australia will continue with further series of the soap.

PHOTOS: HOLLYOAKS stars put on their skimpiest threads for Chris Fountain's 21st birthday bash
HOLLYOAKS is known for its good-looking young stars. And actor Chris Fountain looked in his element as he celebrated his 21st birthday surrounded by his glamorous colleagues.

Bjorlin and Beemer attend Hale Bob Party

DAYS OF OUR LIVES actress Nadia Bjorlin (wearing Hale Bob) and co-star/boyfriend Brandon Beemer attended Hale Bob's Summer Of Love Party at the Falcon on Wednesday in Hollywood.

Out on the Town - May 1, 2008

Former AS THE WORLD TURNS star Marisa Tomei displayed her Drama Desk Award nomination certificate at the The Official Drama Desk Cocktail Reception at the Art Cafe in New York City.

Former DAY OF OUR LIVES actress and SOAP TALK host Lisa Rinna attended TV Guide's Sexiest Stars Party at Katsuya in Los Angeles with husband Harry Hamlin.

News Brief

Re-smooch: Fans rejoice that AS THE WORLD TURNS' Noah and Luke have kissed again
Lynn Smith of the Los Angeles Times, one of the first writers in the media to pick up on the initial "Support Luke and Noah in the Media Week" blitz, has now written a follow up article:

"Nuke" fans—that is, fans of Noah and Luke, the gay couple on “As the World Turns” — are busy messaging the media again.

Back in February, they organized an onslaught of e-mails protesting a perceived ban on gay kissing. While all the heterosexual couples kissed, Noah and Luke hadn’t kissed for months. Our article quoted a spokesman for Proctor & Gamble, the show’s sponsor, who explained that soap operas always want to keep viewers wanting more.

If that’s the case, it worked beautifully. After 211 days — and believe me, the fans were watching and counting — another kiss has been recorded. And in another happy blizzard of e-mails, they are celebrating that it wasn’t “just a peck.” Typical subject line: "Rejoice, for the Kissing Ban is Over!!!"

And "Kissing Accomplished."

One wrote, "We expect the show to continue to feature the couple kissing whenever a scene calls for it. If they do, they definitely deserve some major kudos ... . I can imagine the American Family Association ... will be upset with them."

Yes, indeed, activists from the other camp also issued a press release saying P&G promotes "explicit open-mouthed homosexual kissing" and more. A link to the kiss is attached — with a warning.

I expect the 2008 Kiss Watch to continue — with viewer engagement ratings to soar.

VIDEO: DAYS Weekly Preview


Heather Tom's "Horror Vault" available now
The "Horror Vault" which has been in the works for now well over two years was released on April 24. It is now available at www.thehorrorvault.net.

The film is an anthology and consists of nine small stories, very inspired by the pasts Creepshow, Tales from The Crypt and of course Masters of Horror.

"Delusion" is a black/white 50ies style of horror drama, directed by Mark Machillo, starring Jonaton Trent, Heather Tom (THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) and many others.

OUT OF THE BLUE, BBC's new Aussie soap, has a British feel
Battered by more than 20 years of 16-year-olds pashing and squabbling, and tear-aways becoming responsible citizens of Ramsay Street and Summer Bay, it is very strange to watch the first five episodes of a new Australian soap opera that doesn't - at this early stage anyway - have a teenage focus. Odder still is that the BBC has commissioned OUT OF THE BLUE to be made in Australia. The logic, and financial sense, of this escapes me - couldn't they just make a new British soap? - but, hey, everyone runs around on the beach in skimpy clothing and it looks pretty.

A BBC spokesman says: "The majority of drama shown across the BBC is UK produced. The BBC commissioned this new production to offer audiences a different flavour and perspective which complements existing UK series such as DOCTORS."